NewQ queer space at 22 Enmore road in Newtown is a space for queers of all colours, genders, flavours and varieties and their friends, to get together in order to organise, have fun and form deeper and stronger bonds of community and resistance with each other. It’s an open space for all of us to experiment with a more inclusive and non-violent future.

What is NewQ?

The NewQ queer space at 22 Enmore road in Newtown is a space for queers of all colours, genders, flavours and varieties and their friends, to get together in order to organise, have fun and form deeper and stronger bonds of community and resistance with each other. It’s an open space for all of us to experiment with a more inclusive and non-violent future. At the moment the space has lots of couches and cushions, so it would be a great place to have workshops, have film nights, or do skill share sessions just to suggest a few things. Since this is a new project, a new collective and an evolving space there is lots of room for people to get involved and bring along their own ideas and help make NewQ a space which we all feel at home in. (instead of at home.. ‘ownership’ ?

brief history

Earlier this year a group of us organised a workshop day and party at STUCCO called Resurgence. One of the workshops at this event was organised in order to come up with some (word not needed)? ideas for developing a permanent queer space that wouldn’t be subject to the problems which squatted spaces face in a city like Sydney, where every spare inch is being ‘developed’ by money hungry property sharks. Participants in the workshop expressed a strong desire for a space which embraces principles of openness, accessibility and inclusiveness which commercialised LGBTQ scenes often simply don’t do justice to. (word not needed)?

Since a number of us had been throwing around ideas about opening a queer space in the last couple of years, Resurgence seemed like a great opportunity to try to make our ideas into something more (word not needed?) concrete. In the course of this workshop, a representative of Black Rose told us that they and little fish gallery were in the process of opening a bookshop and gallery space at 22 Enmore road and that there was a space free (take out word give wrong idea?) which we’d be welcome to sub-let if we wanted to. In response to this offer an organisng collective was formed and NewQ came into being.

our vision for the world

A world where there is space for everyone to express themselves, to connect with others and to simply be who they are. Space to be; space to talk and connect; space to express yourself and maybe also space to fuck!

A world capable of fostering social diversity based on mutual respect. A world based on self-organisation and autonomy, not aggression and coercion.

A world where there are lots of small communities like ours thriving and supporting each other, with ones that have resources, like money, people, time, space... helping those that don't, so it's not only the strong, 'successful' ideas that have a chance. Lots of changes would be good in the outside world too, to make it more possible for people to create a life primarily with this network of communities, not constantly having to devote our energies to jobs and other things that kill us.

Yes! We challenge neoliberalism

Although NewQ is a rented space and to some extent has to be involved in the mainstream economy, it’s been set up with the intention that it be a low, or no cost space for those who use it and hence also a space at odds with the relentless neo-liberal commodification of everything including space itself. Nevertheless given that NewQ is essentially an anti-capitalist DIY project it would still be great if people using the space could contribute a gold coin donation if they can afford it in order to pay for rent, electricity and repairs to the space. This isn’t really a space run and funded by us for you, but rather a space run and funded by us and for us.

NewQ provides a space to create and build connections that is somewhat removed from the structures we are resisting.( Here?)

How can people get involved?

If you’d like to get involved in organising the space, offer help with running the space, or make an inquiry about using the space for a one off, or regular event you’re planning, the easiest way would be either to join the resurgence list, come along to a weekly drop-in session from 1-5 pm on Saturdays, or come to our regular organising meeting on Thursdays at about 7pm, or just coming to an event which has been organised at NewQ. We see ‘being involved’ as quite a broad concept - just by dropping in you’re adding your energy and so being involved.

Also have a look at out new website at NewQ.org for ongoing information about events and availability of the space. We also need money to keep the space and to pay the electricity bills so if your feel like donating a few bucks a week/ a month that would be great too.

Donate to us (please!)

Please consider making a regular automatic donation to us (anything helps! Even $5/ week is brilliant!) The money helps us to pay rent and provide a space for us and you to organise in.

bank: st george
account name: resurgence
bsb number: 112879
account number: 464600282